Don't Come Looking by AJ Campbell (top 100 novels of all time TXT) 📕

him with a raised hand. ‘He went to the police and told them if anyone comes looking for him, he doesn’t want to be found.’

I could cry for her.

‘What’s all this about Scotland?’ George asks.

Sasha sits up straight as if she knows she must swallow her suffering and find some bravery from somewhere for the sake of her children. She blows her nose in the bloody remains of the kitchen roll and sniffs loudly. ‘I lied. I’m truly sorry to you all, but Harry, you’re in the middle of your A levels, and I didn’t want to stress you out any more than you already are.’ She looks from one to the other of her children. ‘I was planning to tell you the truth when Harry’s exams had finished.’

‘Why? Why would he do this?’ Harry asks, his voice barely a whisper.

Sasha shrugs. ‘I don’t know. If I did, maybe I could accept it.’

‘Dad would never leave us,’ Hannah says, crying.

‘Something’s not right. He wouldn’t do this to us. He wouldn’t. You have to go to the police,’ says Harry.

Sasha glances over to me with a look that conveys, ‘See what I mean?’ She turns to her children. ‘I have been to the police, but there is nothing they can do.’

George calls out to me. ‘Can’t you find him, Eva? That’s what detectives do, don’t they? Look for missing people.’

‘I’m afraid your father has clearly expressed he doesn’t want to be found, so our hands are tied.’

‘Oh, Mum,’ Hannah says, shifting her chair along to cuddle up to her mother. ‘You shouldn’t have lied. You’ve kept all this to yourself when we could’ve helped you.’

‘I’m so sorry, please forgive me,’ she says, looking up to Harry.

George hauls himself up out of his chair and rushes to hug his mum too. Sasha curls her arms around her twins.

Harry is a different story. The pressure is too much. He explodes, propelling himself out of his chair and rushing from the room. Luke flies after him.

‘Leave him,’ Hannah says, taking control. ‘Luke will sort him out.’

I deliver a tray of sweetened tea to the table. ‘Drink these, and I’ll take those two a cup.’

Upstairs, I knock on Harry’s door. ‘Go away. Leave me alone,’ he barks.

I knock again. ‘It’s Eva. There’re two mugs of tea out here for you. I’ll leave them on the floor.’

The door opens before I’ve had a chance to put them down. ‘Thanks,’ Luke says, taking the tray. I peek past him. Harry is lying on his bed looking as you’d pretty much expect for someone who has just been told his father never wants to see him again.

I can sympathise with him. My mother abandoned me and my brother when I was only four years old. The hurt and disappointment are a life sentence with no hope of parole. But if you are lucky enough to encounter a Gill in your life, you learn to cope.

‘You go home. I want to be on my own,’ Harry says to Luke, taking the mug.

‘I’ll come over in the morning. You still going to Robbins’ class?’ Luke asks.

Harry shakes his head.

‘Come on, mate. See the next week out. You can’t let all this ruin your exams.’

‘Easier said than done. Just go now. I’ll catch you tomorrow.’

I return to the kitchen with Luke close behind. Sasha is still comforting the twins. ‘I need to get going. Jim will be waiting for me,’ I say, gulping down my tea. A mouthful of bitter-sweetness.

‘I’ll see you out. Then I’m going to get these two to bed.’ Sasha says, hauling herself out of her chair.

‘I think people are chipping in out there,’ I say as I walk to the door.

‘I knew I shouldn’t have told anyone about Marc leaving.’ She screws up her eyes and shakes her head. ‘How could Art and Annie be so stupid?’

‘I doubt they did it on purpose. Get some sleep. I’ll call you in the morning.’ I give her a big cuddle. She needs it.

Outside Jim is helping people as best he can to clear debris. The rain has stopped, but the wind has picked up again, dispersing the smell of spilt alcohol.

‘Why didn’t you come inside?’ I ask.

‘I thought I’d be better off out here helping everyone clear up. I didn’t know how long you’d be, so I cancelled the cab. Sasha’s friend over there is going to give us a lift.’

I nod my agreement as I watch Luke slip out of Sasha’s house and head to his own home. I shiver, but not from the cold. Is there something different about his walk? He’s strutting like a peacock, parading a cockiness I haven’t noticed before. As if he is in love with himself. It doesn’t suit him. It looks horrible. My stomach twists. What is it about him?

‘I guess it’s all come out about Marc,’ Jim says.

I update him as I squat down to pick up pieces of glass. I drop them in the cardboard box of rubbish on his lap. The glass clinks against an empty can. ‘Was anyone badly hurt?’ I ask.

‘I don’t think so. One girl had a cut on her arm where she fell, but I’d say people were more shocked than anything.’

I sigh heavily. ‘What a complete mess.’

‘Yep.’ He takes my hand. ‘You OK?’

‘Thinking things through,’ I reply as an upstairs light comes on in Annie and Art’s house. I squint up, waiting for what instinct tells me won’t take long. There it is. A jerk of the curtains and the shadow of a young man – Luke staring out at the aftermath of the party.

I’ve decided I don’t like this boy at all.

P A R T2

Eighteen

LUKE

What a night! Deserving of a five-star review! I certainly didn’t expect such a spectacular ending. Spot on! If only I’d acted quicker, I could have recorded it and enjoyed an encore. I’ll have to rethink my staging for the coming week, though. That’s a shame. Trust Harry to scupper